The present invention relates to testing storage batteries. More specifically, the present invention relates diagnosing problems associated with such storage batteries.
Storage batteries have widespread application across many industries. Some storage batteries are used in automotive vehicles. For example, storage batteries are used in vehicles in internal combustion engines to start the engine, power electronics of the vehicle, and even assisting moving the vehicle in the case of a hybrid vehicle. An all-electric vehicle includes a large storage battery used to store electrical energy to power electrical motors of the vehicle. Other applications of storage batteries include backup power supply batteries. For example, such backup power supply batteries used to provide power to cellular phone sites during power outages, power substations for the distribution of electrical power, etc.
It is desirable to determine the condition of a storage battery. The condition information can be used to predict the remaining life in to battery, determine whether a battery should be replaced, determining how much power the battery is capable of storing, etc. One typical battery storage technique is to measure a parameter of the battery which is related to its condition and compare that parameter with a rated value for the battery. Examples of battery testing techniques and related technologies are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,911, issued Mar. 25, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,708, issued Sep. 30, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,768, issued Mar. 28, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,170, issued Apr. 25, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,038, issued Nov. 14, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,416, issued Mar. 27, 1990, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,269, issued Aug. 18, 1992, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,380, issued Aug. 30, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,136, issued Nov. 5, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,355, issued Nov. 12, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,416, issued Dec. 10, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,728, issued Dec. 17, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,757, issued Dec. 31, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,093, issued Jan. 7, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,098, issued Jan. 28, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,920, issued Aug. 12, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,192, issued May 26, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,756, issued Oct. 13, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,831,435, issued Nov. 3, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,858, issued Feb. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,605, issued Jun. 22, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,829, issued Aug. 31, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,238, issued Dec. 14, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,751, issued Mar. 14, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,777, issued Mar. 14, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,976, issued Apr. 18, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,098, issued Jun. 27, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,245, issued Jul. 18, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,167, issued Aug. 15, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,269, issued Oct. 24, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,156, issued Dec. 19, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,483, issued Jan. 9, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,505, issued Jan. 9, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,369, issued Apr. 24, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,808, issued May 1, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,124, issued Jun. 19, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,254, issued Jul. 10, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,563, issued Jul. 17, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,896, issued Sep. 25, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,897, issued Sep. 25, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,087, issued Oct. 16, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,481, issued Oct. 30, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,607, issued Nov. 6, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,608, issued Nov. 6, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,914, issued Nov. 13, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,650, issued Nov. 27, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,793, issued Dec. 11, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,762, issued Dec. 18, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,113, issued Dec. 18, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,102, issued Feb. 26, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,359,441, issued Mar. 19, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,303, issued Mar. 26, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,031, issued Apr. 23, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,392,414, issued May 21, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,669, issued Jul. 9, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,158, issued Jul. 23, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,585, issued Aug. 17, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,957, issued Aug. 20, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,445,158, issued Sep. 3, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,045; U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,025, issued Oct. 15, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,908, issued Oct. 15, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,026, issued Oct. 15, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,511, issued Nov. 22, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,990, issued Dec. 17, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,209, issued Dec. 24, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,196, issued Jan. 14, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,993; issued Mar. 18, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,078, issued Apr. 8, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,556,019, issued Apr. 29, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,566,883, issued May 20, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,941, issued Jul. 1, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,597,150, issued Jul. 22, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,272, issued Sep. 16, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,314, issued Sep. 23, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,165, issued Oct. 14, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,974, issued Oct. 21, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,303, issued Mar. 16, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,831, issued May 18, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,149, issued Jun. 1, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,849, issued Jul. 6, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,382, issued Aug. 24, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,025, filed Sep. 7, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,782, issued Sep. 21, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,090, filed Oct. 19, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,806,716, filed Oct. 19, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,037, filed Feb. 1, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,037, issued Feb. 1, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,151, issued Mar. 22, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,195, issued Apr. 26, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,888,468, issued May 3, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,891,378, issued May 10, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,522, issued Jun. 14, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,523, issued Jun. 14, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,909,287, issued Jun. 21, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,914,413, issued Jul. 5, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,483, issued Jul. 5, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,485, issued Aug. 16, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,727, issued Aug. 23, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,234, filed Sep. 6, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,484, issued Nov. 22, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,847, issued Feb. 14, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,410, issued Feb. 21, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,411, issued Feb. 21, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,012,433, issued Mar. 14, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,015,674, issued Mar. 21, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,034,541, issued Apr. 25, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,533, issued May 2, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,525, issued Jun. 6, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,081,755, issued Jul. 25, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,070, issued Sep. 12, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,116,109, issued Oct. 3, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,119,686, issued Oct. 10, 2006; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,126,341, issued Oct. 24, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,154,276, issued Dec. 26, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,510, issued Apr. 3, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,175, issued Apr. 22, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,914, issued Apr. 24, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,015, issued Jul. 17, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,295,936, issued Nov. 13, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,304, issued Jan. 15, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,175, issued Apr. 22, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,176, issued Jul. 8, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,408,358, issued Aug. 5, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,833, issued Sep. 16, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,446,536, issued Nov. 4, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,479,763, issued Jan. 20, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,767, issued Mar. 3, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,501,795, issued Mar. 10, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,505,856, issued Mar. 17, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,545,146, issued Jun. 9, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,557,586, issued Jul. 7, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,595,643, issued Sep. 29, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,699, issued Oct. 6, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,744, issued Oct. 6, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,743, issued Oct. 6, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,619,417, issued Nov. 17, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,642,786, issued Jan. 5, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,642,787, issued Jan. 5, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,656,162, issued Feb. 2, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,688,074, issued Mar. 30, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,705,602, issued Apr. 27, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,706,992, issued Apr. 27, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,710,119, issued May 4, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,723,993, issued May 25, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,728,597, issued Jun. 1, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,772,850, issued Aug. 10, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,774,151, issued Aug. 10, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,612, issued Aug. 17, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,791,348, issued Sep. 7, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,808,375, issued Oct. 5, 2010; U.S. Ser. No. 09/780,146, filed Feb. 9, 2001, entitled STORAGE BATTERY WITH INTEGRAL BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 09/756,638, filed Jan. 8, 2001, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING BATTERY PROPERTIES FROM COMPLEX IMPEDANCE/ADMITTANCE; U.S. Ser. No. 09/862,783, filed May 21, 2001, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TESTING CELLS AND BATTERIES EMBEDDED IN SERIES/PARALLEL SYSTEMS; U.S. Ser. No. 09/880,473, filed Jun. 13, 2001; entitled BATTERY TEST MODULE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/042,451, filed Jan. 8, 2002, entitled BATTERY CHARGE CONTROL DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/109,734, filed Mar. 28, 2002, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COUNTERACTING SELF DISCHARGE IN A STORAGE BATTERY; U.S. Ser. No. 10/112,998, filed Mar. 29, 2002, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH BATTERY REPLACEMENT OUTPUT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/263,473, filed Oct. 2, 2002, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH RELATIVE TEST OUTPUT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/310,385, filed Dec. 5, 2002, entitled BATTERY TEST MODULE; U.S. Ser. No. 09/653,963, filed Sep. 1, 2000, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER GENERATION AND STORAGE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/174,110, filed Jun. 18, 2002, entitled DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT CONTROL USING AN INTELLIGENT POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 10/258,441, filed Apr. 9, 2003, entitled CURRENT MEASURING CIRCUIT SUITED FOR BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 10/681,666, filed Oct. 8, 2003, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH PROBE LIGHT; U.S. Ser. No. 10/791,141, filed Mar. 2, 2004, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING A BATTERY TEST; U.S. Ser. No. 10/867,385, filed Jun. 14, 2004, entitled ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 10/958,812, filed Oct. 5, 2004, entitled SCAN TOOL FOR ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 60/587,232, filed Dec. 14, 2004, entitled CELLTRON ULTRA, U.S. Ser. No. 60/653,537, filed Feb. 16, 2005, entitled CUSTOMER MANAGED WARRANTY CODE; U.S. Ser. No. 60/665,070, filed Mar. 24, 2005, entitled OHMMETER PROTECTION CIRCUIT; U.S. Ser. No. 60,694,199, filed Jun. 27, 2005, entitled GEL BATTERY CONDUCTANCE COMPENSATION; U.S. Ser. No. 60/705,389, filed Aug. 4, 2005, entitled PORTABLE TOOL THEFT PREVENTION SYSTEM, U.S. Ser. No. 11/207,419, filed Aug. 19, 2005, entitled SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY GATHERING BATTERY INFORMATION FOR USE DURING BATTERY TESTER/CHARGING, U.S. Ser. No. 60/712,322, filed Aug. 29, 2005, entitled AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE, U.S. Ser. No. 60/713,168, filed Aug. 31, 2005, entitled LOAD TESTER SIMULATION WITH DISCHARGE COMPENSATION, U.S. Ser. No. 60/731,881, filed Oct. 31, 2005, entitled PLUG-IN FEATURES FOR BATTERY TESTERS; U.S. Ser. No. 60/731,887, filed Oct. 31, 2005, entitled AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 11/304,004, filed Dec. 14, 2005, entitled BATTERY TESTER THAT CALCULATES ITS OWN REFERENCE VALUES; U.S. Ser. No. 60/751,853, filed Dec. 20, 2005, entitled BATTERY MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 11/304,004, filed Dec. 14, 2005, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH CALCULATES ITS OWN REFERENCE VALUES; U.S. Ser. No. 60/751,853, filed Dec. 20, 2005, entitled BATTERY MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 11/356,443, filed Feb. 16, 2006, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH NETWORK COMMUNICATION; U.S. Ser. No. 11/519,481, filed Sep. 12, 2006, entitled BROAD-BAND LOW-CONDUCTANCE CABLES FOR MAKING KELVIN CONNECTIONS TO ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS AND BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 60/847,064, filed Sep. 25, 2006, entitled STATIONARY BATTERY MONITORING ALGORITHMS; U.S. Ser. No. 11/641,594, filed Dec. 19, 2006, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A PARAMETER OF A VEHICLE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 60/950,182, filed Jul. 17, 2007, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR HYBRID VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 60/973,879, filed Sep. 20, 2007, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER FOR TESTING STATIONARY BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 11/931,907, filed Oct. 31, 2007, entitled BATTERY MAINTENANCE WITH PROBE LIGHT; U.S. Ser. No. 60/992,798, filed Dec. 6, 2007, entitled STORAGE BATTERY AND BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 61/061,848, filed Jun. 16, 2008, entitled KELVIN CLAMP FOR ELECTRONICALLY COUPLING TO A BATTERY CONTACT; U.S. Ser. No. 12/168,264, filed Jul. 7, 2008, entitled BATTERY TESTERS WITH SECONDARY FUNCTIONALITY; U.S. Ser. No. 12/174,894, filed Jul. 17, 2008, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 12/204,141, filed Sep. 4, 2008, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER OR CHARGER WITH DATABUS CONNECTION; U.S. Ser. No. 12/328,022, filed Dec. 4, 2008, entitled STORAGE BATTERY AND BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/416,457, filed Apr. 1, 2009, entitled SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY GATHERING BATTERY INFORMATION; U.S. Ser. No. 12/416,453, filed Apr. 1, 2009, entitled INTEGRATED TAG READER AND ENVIRONMENT SENSOR; U.S. Ser. No. 12/416,445, filed Apr. 1, 2009, entitled SIMPLIFICATION OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT; U.S. Ser. No. 12/485,459, filed Jun. 16, 2009, entitled CLAMP FOR ELECTRONICALLY COUPLING TO A BATTERY CONTACT; U.S. Ser. No. 12/498,642, filed Jul. 7, 2009, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/697,485, filed Feb. 1, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/698,375, filed Feb. 2, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/712,456, filed Feb. 25, 2010, entitled METHOD AND APPARATU FOR DETECTING CELL DETERIORATION IN AN ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL OR BATTERY; U.S. Ser. No. 61/311,485, filed Mar. 8, 2010, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH DATABUS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 61/313,893, filed Mar. 15, 2010, entitled USE OF BATTERY MANUFACTURE/SELL DATE IN DIAGNOSIS AND RECOVERY OF DISCHARGED BATTERIES; U.S. Ser. No. 12/758,407, filed Apr. 12, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH NETWORK COMMUNICATION; U.S. Ser. No. 12/765,323, filed Apr. 22, 2010, entitled AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 12/769,911, filed Apr. 29, 2010, entitled STATIONARY BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 61/330,497, filed May 3, 2010, entitled MAGIC WAND WITH ADVANCED HARNESS DETECTION; U.S. Ser. No. 12/774,892, filed May 6, 2010, entitled SCAN TOOL FOR ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/786,890, filed May 25, 2010, entitled BATTERY TESTER WITH PROMOTION FEATURE; U.S. Ser. No. 61/348,901, filed May 27, 2010, entitled ELECTRTONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 29/362,827, filed Jun. 1, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 61/351,017, filed Jun. 3, 2010, entitled IMPROVED ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY MODULE BALANCER; U.S. Ser. No. 12/818,290, filed Jun. 18, 2010, entitled BATTERY MAINTENANCE DEVICE WITH THERMAL BUFFER; U.S. Ser. No. 61/373,045, filed Aug. 12, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER FOR TESTING STATIONERY STORAGE BATTERY; U.S. Ser. No. 12/888,689, filed Sep. 23, 2010, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 12/894,951, filed Sep. 30, 2010, entitled BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES; U.S. Ser. No. 61/411,162, filed Nov. 8, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 13/037,641, filed Mar. 1, 2011, entitled MONITOR FOR FRONT TERMINAL BATTERIES; which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.